1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an identification system for identifying the identities between an IC card issued such as a cash card or credit card and an IC card terminal when the IC card is loaded in the IC card terminal installed in a shop or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, there have been a variety of cards issued by credit card firms or the like, with which commercial commodities can be purchased. As such cards, plastic cards, embossing cards, cards having magnetic stripes, etc. are used. Such cards can be easily forged for illegal use. To prevent this problem, there has recently been developed an information card or so-called IC card, in which an IC module with a personal identification number (PIN) or the like stored therein is embedded in a thin card so that the PIN cannot be readily read out from the outside. This IC card can be difficult to forge and has excellent security. Further, it can store large quantities of information. When the IC card is used for a commercial transaction, it is loaded in an IC card terminal installed at a bank, a shop, etc., and the PIN and other data are input for the identification of the card and cardholder before a predetermined processing is executed.
However, in the IC card system utilizing the IC card and IC card terminal, the PIN data of the cardholder is input from a keyboard of the card terminal in the shop. Therefore, the PIN data input operation is liable to be watched surreptitiously by, for instance, staff members, or other customers in the shop. Also, it is possible that the input PIN data can be read out surreptitiously by providing some surreptitious use of the card terminal itself. Therefore, the IC card has potential security problems during actual transactions. The surreptitious observation of the PIN data input operation can be avoided if care is taken by the person who inputs the secret data. However, if means for surreptitiously reading out data is provided in the card terminal itself, there is no effective countermeasure by the cardholder. Further, when the IC card is forged, there is no countermeasure at all within the card terminal. Therefore, when an IC card is loaded in an IC card terminal, it is necessary to confirm the validity of both the card and the IC card terminal before the PIN data input operation, i.e., in an initial state after loading of or electric communicating with the IC card.